NEWS: Gee-Gees football announce 33 recruits for 2018 season

The Gee-Gees football team is gearing up for the 2018 season by making additions to an already young and talented core of players.

This offseason, key emphasis was placed on getting bigger and more athletic across the board, with specific areas of focus on the offensive and defensive lines.

Key recruits for the Gee-Gees offensive line include a trio of standouts from Eastern Ontario in Zack Pelehos, from Gananoque, Nick Sine from Brockville, and Gregory Harris from Ottawa.

Pelehos, who suits up at tackle, was originally a recruit for last year's class, but instead will join the Gee-Gees for 2018. Pelehos has proved himself to be a highly sought-after commodity, excelling both in high school play and in club football with the Kingston Grenadiers. Sine, a centre and guard, suited up for football-focused Canada Prep Academy in high school, gaining experience playing against teams from both sides of the border. Harris, enters his time at uOttawa having already worked with Gee-Gees offensive line coach Carl Tolmie, the Holy Trinity Catholic High School product plays both tackle and guard.

Three key additions on the opposite side of the line are found in Harley Burke, Riley Schlichting, and Jaden Lattamore.

Burke, a native of Fredericton, N.B. brings undeniable size and athleticism to the defensive tackle role. Standing 6-5 and weighing in at 315 lbs. Burke has the attributes to cause fits for opposing offences. Schlichting, a native of Etobicoke, stands at 6-3 and 315 lbs. and is coming off of successful seasons with the Mississauga Warriors and Bishop Allen Academy and will look to become a key piece of a retooled line. Lattamore, a product of South Collegiate Institute in London, Ont., comes to Ottawa from a school known for producing high-level U SPORTS talent. With great size and speed, Lattamore, who also played for Team Ontario, fits the prototypical role of a defensive end that is able to play the high-pace OUA game.

The team also targeted the linebacking core, where they pulled in three local recruits of note. Patrick Madore, an Ottawa native who suited up for Cégep de l'Outaouais, is currently with the team after enrolling in January. Michael Baray, a native of Gatineau and former division three RSEQ All-Star with Cégep de Saint-Jér�180me, will return home to the National Capital Region to join the Gee-Gees. Finally, Duncan Baird, the son of Gee-Gees Football Hall of Fame quarterback Cam Baird, will also suit up in the Garnet and Grey, but on the opposite side of the ball as his father.

The Gee-Gees continued to recruit well from the Quebec talent pool, bringing in 10 athletes with CEGEP experience including Jérémie Bérubé and Nicolas Coutu from Division 1 champions Champlain College Lennoxville.

Two members of the class are transferring from other U SPORTS institutions, Kyle Rodger is joining the team from the Montréal Carabins, and Ryk Vanderpol is traveling up the canal from Carleton.

Any further updates will be announced in the coming weeks. The complete list of recruits is as follows: